As liaisons between coworkers and their Council Rep, Area Reps provide a more direct two-way communication network
between SPEEA’s elected leaders and members.

Area Reps relay messages from SPEEA, forward
questions to Council Reps and serve as the ‘eyes
and ears’ for member concerns in the workplace.

For all that Area Reps do to strengthen members’
ties to the union, October is designated Area Rep
Recognition Month.

What Area Repsare saying

Dan Sergent, a certification engineer, knows firsthand how important Area Reps are to Council Reps
– because he is a former Council
Rep. As Area Rep, he appreciates
having an official role to network
with other members in the workplace about their union.

He refers to where he sits in
Renton as cubicle city. If he hears questions
related to SPEEA, the contract or labor rights,
he speaks up.

“So many people in the union don’t realize when
they’re talking about SPEEA, they’re talking
about themselves,” he said. “Area Reps give a
face to the union.”

“This is important work – to take care of eachother and make sure no one is taken advantageof – everyone deserves to have fair compensationfor their work. Everyone needs a voice and fairtreatment at work.”– Dan Sergent, Area Rep and certificationengineer on the 737 MAX in Renton

As an Area Rep for more than
20 years, Doug Oldenburg, a
technical designer in Everett’s
Twin Towers, has worked to keep
thousands of members informed.
These days, he keeps in touch
with about 50 to 60 current and
former co-workers.

Most times, he’s just relayinginformation. “People want to make sure I gettheir point of view – or concern – so I can relayit back to SPEEA.”Oldenburg joined SPEEA as soon as he started atBoeing 27 years ago, for the simple reason that heknew what it was like to work without union repre-sentation. “We need something to ensure everyoneis treated the same. “It’s nice to have a voice.”

“There have been times where someone knows
me and they need SPEEA representation, so I
hook them up with a Council Rep. Not everyone
pays attention to who their CR is, but they might
know I’m an Area Rep.”

– Doug Oldenburg, Area Rep and technical
designer for BCA Systems Engineering Group

‘My turn to get involved’

Ricardo (Rick) Salve is a newArea Rep but a longstandingsupporter of SPEEA. When hestarted at Boeing’s Portland sitenearly 10 years ago, Salve, a man-ufacturing engineer, joined rightaway. “I’m glad there’s a union. Itwould be a lot different benefits-wise without one.”He recalls working as a manufacturing engineer atanother company, where he didn’t have a union.At that job, working overtime on Saturdays wasmandatory (without compensation). “When youhave a contract, you have choices,” he said.

Attending a recent SPEEA lunchtime meeting,
Salve spoke up about concerns and asked questions. Afterward, his Council Reps recruited him
to sign up as Area Rep. “We’ve been having a lot
of dialogue about how to get more engaged here
in Portland, particularly with negotiations coming up,” Salve said. “It’s my turn to get involved.”

“I like to listen to people’s views. When there is a
problem, you have to listen. There is not always a
simple solution. And I encourage and value other
people’s opinions.”